Capping machine



April 3, 1928.

w. WRIGHT ET AL CAPPING MACHINE Filed May 18. 1927 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES WILBUR L. WRIGHT, OF FULTON,

AND JOHN L. DOLPHIN, or srnacusn, NEW 1031!,

ASSIGNORS T0 OSWEGO FALLS CORPORATION, 01 FULTON, NEW YORK, A. CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

CAPPING Application filed May 18,

This invention is designed for application to standard capping machines now in the hands of users, to render such machines capable of handling handle caps, i. e. caps with staples that project slightly above and below the top and bottom surfaces of the caps and even render such machines capable of handling both plain and stapled caps where both are made from paper board of approximately the same thickness.

The caps above referred to are so-called bottle caps made of flat disks cut from paper board usually about forty thousandths of an inch in thickness. The plain caps have flat parallel top and bottom faces without elevation or projections and the standard capping machines on the market, as known to us /are built and set by the maker to handle only plain caps of predetermined or standard thickness with very limited allowance for variations. Stapled or handled bottle caps consist of the fiat paper disks cut from say forty point (forty thousandths of an inch in thickness) paper board and having staples driven therethrough and clinched on the under side thereof to form top pull tabs, or to attach. top pull tabs, or to brace top pull tabs that are composed of part of the disk. With all of these so-called handle or pull tab caps, the staples or in some instances possibly the handles increase the overall thickness of the cap usually by slight obstructions or projections at both the top and bottom faces of the disk, located inwardly from the peripheral edges of the caps. The overall thickness of these handle caps is usually somewhere from about fifty-nine thousandths of an inch to about sixty-four thousandths of an inch, more or less, where the cap itself is composed of paper board about forty thousandths of an I inch in thickness. These top and bottom projections are usually located various" short radial distances inwardly from the periphery of the cap, so that the maximum thickness of the circumferential or peripheral annular portion of the cap radially outside of the top and bottom staple rojections, will be no greater than the thickness of the paper board, say forty point.

The said capping machines innse are usually built to handle the standard thickness (say forty point) plain caps, with the macnrnn.

1927. Serial no. 192,359.

horizontal throat or passageway from the cap magazine to the cap seating lunger, usually about forty-eight thousandt s of an inch in vertical width and the cap feed slide or pusher that successively pushes the bottom caps from the magazine through said throat to the plunger, about thirty-six thousandths of an inch in thickness at its cap engaging edge. As the reciprocatory feed slide or blade pushes the bottom caps successively from the vertical stack of caps in the magazine, on a horizontal path through the throat and to the path of movement of the cap seating plunger and holds up the stack of caps during the slide feeding and return strokes, the vertical width of the throat must be accurately limited and fixed. This, to hold back the cap immediately above the bottom cap while being pushed through the throat, to prevent even partial entrance of more than one cap into the throat, as jamming and wedging of caps in the throat is a frequent cause of trouble even when the plain caps are being handled by standard machines. The throat thus necessarily accurately fixed in vertical width for plain caps, say forty point caps, will not permit use of the capping machine for handling handle or stapled caps.

Thousands of expensive bottle capping machines of standard types built and set to handle only plain caps are now in use in plants for bottling milk and other products, and it'is the main object of this invention to provide for the comparatively simple inexpensive conversion of these machines now in use, to render them capable of handling both plain and handle caps, and thereby promote the use of handle caps, with attendant advantages to the bottled milk user, and relieving the milk bottlers of the great expense involved in purchasing capping machines specially designed and developed for handling handle ca 5. v I

With this and 0t er objects in view, our invention consists in certain novel features and in structures, arrangements, or combinations as more fully and particularly set forth and specified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof Fig. 1 1s a perspective view of'part of a 3v standard capping machine, converted according to our invention, to handle both plain and handle caps, a tube of handle caps ein shown ,in position to supply caps to the eed slide of the machine, the tube being tion of our invention, but not for purposes guideway for the slide 6, to which the feed of limitation, we happen to show some parts of a standard capping machine as found on the market for handling plain bottle caps. This standard ca ping machine is in part described and il ustrated b Patent No. 1,221,105 dated April 3, 191 and is well known to those skilled in the art.

The purpose is to convert this and other capping machines for plain caps, in the hands of the bottler or at the factory, so as to handle both plain and handled caps, and thereby broadly embody the feature of the capping machine of Patent No. 1,026,892, dated May 21, 1912, designed to feed and deliver handled caps. In the drawings, we show in part a single head from one, among other plain cap applying machines now on the market, and this head embodies a horizontally disposed longitudinally elongated casting or one-piece base or bottom member 1, providing at one end the depending mouth piece 2 to receive the head of the milk or other bottle a, to be be capped, and the vertical throat 3, that receives the cap I), from the cap feed plate or pusher 4, and holds the same in position to be forced or delivered by plunger 5, through the throat and into sealing position within the mouth of the bottle a. The bottom member 1, also provides a horizontal plate 4, is fixed, and horizontal elongated top guide surfaces 7, arranged radial and extending to the open top of the throat 3, on which the feed plate 4, slides back and forth and onto which the caps I), drop and along which said caps are successively pushed and from which they are delivered into the throat.

This bottom member 1, is formed with an elevated top ledge or well 8, that is U- shaped in top plan and partially surrounds the upper end of throat 3, with parallel ends spaced apart and parallel with and elevated above the flat top surfaces 7, which are located between said ends, so that the caps and the feed plate 4, pass to the throat 8, between the inner vertical edges of said ends of the elevated ledge 8. The top edge of this elevated ledge 8, is usually fiat and in a common horizontal plane.

The bottom member 1, is formed in this instance with three vertical screw threaded sockets 9, uniformly distributed along said ledge 8, and open at their upper ends.

The upper structure of the capping machine head of the type, we happen to illustrate, embodies a casting or frame that provides the housing and guide 10, for plunger 5 and its upstanding stem 5, and also the vertical cap magazine and cap tube socket 11, that removably receives and holds the paper tube 12, containing the stack or supply of caps b. This top casting or frame also carries the system of links and levers 13, from fork 14, on the stem 5*, to the feed plate slide 6, whereby the plunger 5, and the feed plate 4, are reciprocated in proper sequence as is well understood by those skilled in the art.

I The lower ends of the tube magazine socket 11, and of the plunger housing 10, are open at the bottom (Fig. 3) and said lower open ends of said housing and socket are separated by cross web or bridge 15 which is flat and in the same horizontal plane as the fiat bottom edges of the socket 11 and housing 10. This upper member that embodies said socket 11 and housingb 10, is formed with lateral lugs 16, pierced y vertical holes to removably recelve headed machine screws 17, by which said up er member is secured to the bottom mem er 1, by entering the screw threaded sockets 9, with which the screw holes in ears or lugs' 16, arearranged to register. The arrangement is such that the upper member is supported and held elevated by the elevated ledge 8, in this type of machine as now in common use for plain caps only. The bottom edge of socket 11 and the flat bottom face of cross web 15, are thus held elevated above the surfaces 7 for passage of the feed plate 4 and the caps on said surfaces and below socketll and web 15.

In the machine of the type shown as now vin common use, the bottom caps in the magasurfaces 7 when said cap-is pushed forward on surfaces 7', to the throat 3.

. The cap throat from magazine 11, to vertical throat3, throughwhich plate 4, successively discharges the caps b, is in this type of machine in common use adapted only for plain caps, formed by the flat bottom face of web 15, the vertical edges of elevated ledge 8, and the fiat horizontal top face of web or cross wall 20, parallel with the bottom face v of web 15 and in the same horizontal plane as surfaces 7, in this respect not as shown by Figs. 2, 3 and 4. In the machines now in common use for plain caps only, the vertical width of this throat is uniform throughout the lateral width of the throat and must approximate the thickness of the caps to permit free cap feed and reduce jamming to the minimum. In fact, jamming of caps even in this plain cap machine, is such a serious matter that hole 10", is provided in housing 10, and vertical slot 11, in magazine socket 11, for the insertion of rods or other elements to free and remove caps that have wedged or'jammed in the cap throats.

This vertically narrow cap throat between webs 15 and 20, in the common plain cap machine, prevents the use in such machines of the handle caps b, for instance, such as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, wherein the staple 0, located a distance radially inwardly of the cap from its flat circumferential edge portion, forms projections above and below the flat top and bottom faces of the cap.

The problem is to adapt or convert the plain cap machines without removing them from their present situations and with the minimum interruption to the operation thereof, to receive handle caps as well as the plain caps for which the machines were originally built.

We accomplish this result by routing out, see 7 the top face of the bottom member 1, see Figs. 2, 3, 4, to provide a pair of parallel horizontal narrow cap supporting ledges 7, spaced apart a distance equal to not less than twice the radius of the cap staple .0, from the center of the cap, and extending approximately from the rear portion of the wall of socket 11 to the throat 3 and across the web or bridge 20; and by elevating the top member that comprises housing 10, and

socket 11 and adding thereto a peculiar supplemental bottom plate 25. The longitudinal intermediate depression formed by removed portions 7, in the top of the bottom member 1, removes the danger of handle cap mutilation and jamming because of the bottom projections of staples 0, striking the front edge of the web or bridge 20 as in the machine before the same is routed out. This longitudinal depression 7 that is carried across web 20, forms the narrow elevated slideways 7 on which rest and slide the flat faces of the circumferential portions of the caps outside of the staples 0, so that the caps can assume and advance in horizontal positions, whether 40 point plain caps or 40 point handle caps. The-supplemental onepiece stifi' or rigid flat plate 25, is of substantial thickness and has flat parallel top and bottom faces, and approximates in outline and form a cross section of the lower end of i the upper member, providing split ring-like end portion 11", to register with the lower tightly together by screws 17, with the ring 10", of plate 25, resting on elevated ledge 8,

and tightly clamped between the same and the upper member. The upper member is henceheld elevated a substantial distance above its former position by the supplemental plate 25, and to prevent the upper projections of the cap staples c, jamming against the plate bridge 15, now forming the top wall of the cap throat, said bridge 15, at its under side has acentral depression 15", extending completely across the bridge and located directly above and in length equal to the central depression across web "20, of the bottom member 1. In other Words,

the central or intermediate depression 15, is

equal to at least twice the distance radially of the handle cap from the cap center to the staple 0, thereby leaving spaced shoulders at each end of depression 15", at the front edge of bridge 15, to hold back the cap resting on the cap being forced forward by the feed plate 4.

The plain cap machine after it has thus been converted according to'our invention, will still be able to handle plain caps as well as handle caps, both of the same paper board thickness, say 40 point, because the intermediate bottom and top depressions 7,

15, will permit free passage of the top and bottom staple projections of the handle caps while not interfering with passage of plain caps, and the opposite slide surfaces 7, will support the circumferential portions of both plain and handle caps alike through the throat, as the end portions of the throat will be of the same vertical width as in the machine in its original condition. In other words, the bottom faces of the ends of the bridge 15 beyond the ends of the depression 15", will be the same distance above the bridge 20, as in the machine in its original condition.

The supplemental plate 25, being of substantial thickness and body and having unbroken bridge 15 will stand up under the rough usage to which capping machines are subjected by various sharp point-ed instruments inserted through opening 10, and.

as our invention is employed for converting various types of existing capping machines and can be adapted for other types.

What we claim is:

I}. A cappin machine for plain caps converted to hand e both plain and handle caps,

comprising a bottom member having a vertical cap throat and elevated parallel spaced slideways leading to the threat for the circumferential edge portions ofthe caps, a reciprocatory feed plate for the caps, an upper member embodying a vertical magazine for the caps open at the bottom, a plunger to force the caps down through said throat, and a supplemental plate between the upper and lower members and forming a downward extension of said magazine and, providing an intermediate top depression and portion of the lower end of the magazine to hold back the cap or caps above the cap being moved by said slide, said bridge at its under side having an intermediate cross channel, for the purposes substantially as described.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a supplemental plate for insertion under and to thereby elevate the top member of a plain cap capping machine in converting such machine to handle both plain and handled caps, said plate having openings to register with the cap magazine and the ver tical throat of the bottle guide and a cross bridge to form the lower end of the front wall of the magazine, the intermediate portion of the under side of said bridge having a channel completely across the bridge.

4:. A fiat plate for insertion and clamping between the bottom and top members of a capping machine in. converting the machine to use handle caps, said plate having an. opening to register with the vertical throat of the bottom member and an opening to register with the cap magazine, and a portion to form spaced cap stops immediately below the front portion of the bottom edge of the magazine with an intermediate free passage for the top projections of handle caps moving forward below said plate.

Signed at Fulton, county of Oswego, Stage of New York, this 17th day of May, 192

WILBUR L. WRIGHT. JOHN L. DOLPHIN. 

